title: Family structure differences in health care utilization among U.S. children.
abstract: This study explores the relationship between family structure and children's access to health care using data from the 2001-2003 waves of the child sample files from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey. Specifically, we investigate the extent to which family structure types predict children's utilization of preventive health care, and barriers to care. We then explore whether observed differences across family structures can be attributed to differences in demographic characteristics, socioeconomic status (SES), and child health status. Using logistic regression models, we document substantial variation in health care usage and barriers to health care across a variety of family structures. Of note is the finding that the children of single mothers demonstrate extremely different patterns of health care access than do the children of single fathers, and the importance of SES as a risk factor for diminished levels of access to health care varies by family type. SES plays a major role in mediating the relationship between access to care for children in single mother and cohabiting families (when contrasted against children in two married parent families), but less of a role for children living with stepparents, a single father, or with parents and other relatives.
authors.affiliation: Sociology, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA. bkgorman@rice.edu
authors.forename: Bridget K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Gorman
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braverman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics*; D006306:Health Surveys; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011314:Preventive Health Services / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020954:Single-Parent Family; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States